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Archives for November 2010

Dan Uggla Rumors: Monday

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Yesterday we heard that the Marlins intend to trade Dan Uggla and that the Blue Jays could be the favorites to acquire him if a deal does occur. Here's the latest on the second baseman:

  • The Cardinals have interest in Uggla, though a source told MLB.com's Matthew Leach that the club is concerned about the cost not in dollars, but players. Leach says reports of Florida's asking price "may be misleading."
  • MLB.com's Bill Ladson confirmed that the Nationals have interest in Uggla. The Marlins want both pitching and a catcher in return.
  • Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com tweets that there is no sign that Uggla will relent and accept the team's four-year, $48MM contract offer.
  • ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that some clubs "perceive the Marlins are absolutely intent on moving Uggla ASAP, and they are not asking for a high rate of return — a couple of decent guys, no A-plus prospects necessary."
  • The Marlins are not shopping Uggla aggressively, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter). They are concerned over the stalled extension talks and preparing in case they can't reach a deal.
  • Rival executives tell Jon Heyman of SI.com that the Marlins' four-year $48MM offer was reasonable. I thought so, too.
  • Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos told Jeff Blair on the FAN 590 that both Aaron Hill and Jose Bautista would be willing to shift to third base if the Blue Jays acquire "someone who can make an impact." Hill hasn't played at the hot corner since 2005, but Anthopoulos says he has enough arm strength and athleticism to handle the shift.

Reds Re-Sign Ramon Hernandez

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The Reds have re-signed catcher Ramon Hernandez to a one-year contract according to the team's official Twitter feed. FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal reports that the deal is worth $3MM (Twitter link).

Hernandez, 34, hit .297/.364/.428 with 18 doubles and seven homers in 352 plate appearances this season, though he was usurped by Ryan Hanigan as the team's everyday catcher. Hernandez failed to appear in the 120 games needed for his $3.25MM option to vest, getting into just 97 contests.

Luke Adams broke down Hernandez's free agent stock last month.

Bartolo Colon Back On The Radar

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Bartolo Colon looked sharp in the most recent step of his return to action last night, holding the defending Dominican Winter League and Carribean Series champions the Leones del Escogido to a pair of singles in five scoreless innings. Colon struck out six for the Alguiles del Cibao, according to Jose Caceres' recap in the Dominican daily Hoy (link in Spanish), as he generally overwhelmed hitters with a mixture of fastballs and sinkers.

Colon announced he was attempting a comeback to Yoel Adames of ESPN Deportes in late October while pitching for the champion Dominican team in the Pan-American Games qualifier. He said at the time that he "maintains conversations" with the Yankees, Rockies, Cardinals, and Tigers, though other teams approached him following his complete game victory over Nicaragua on October 10. The 37-year-old right-hander was solid in three of his four appearances in Puerto Rico, the only exception being a 2.3-inning, six-run drubbing by Team USA that Colon chalked up to inadequate rest. 

Though he hasn't pitched in the majors since 2009, Colon pointed to the offseason following the 2005 season as the focal point of his decline. That winter, Colon pitched for the Dominican Republic in the inaugural World Baseball Classic, fresh off of his 21-win, 222 inning Cy Young campaign. The extra workload, he said, left a lingering soreness in his pitching elbow that marred his ensuing three seasons with the Angels and Red Sox, culminating in surgery to remove bone spurs in 2009.

After signing with the White Sox in January 2009, Colon was effective through 19 starts, pitching to a 4.19 ERA before a knee injury ended his season in July. He said he has devoted the ensuing year to training in the Domincan Republic, and he claims to be throwing pain-free at his customary "full velocity." If Colon continues to pitch well and is willing to sign for around the $1MM that he received from the White Sox in 2009, he could make sense for the teams on his contact list and a number of others looking to add some upside to the back end of their rotation.

Braves Close To Nearing Deal For Dan Uggla

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The Braves "appear to be very close to nearing a deal" for Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla, tweets MLB.com's Mark Bowman.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweeted minutes ago that the division rivals are discussing a deal that would send Uggla to Atlanta for utility man Omar Infante and lefty reliever Mike Dunn.

Infante, a super-utility type, hit .321/.359/.416 in 506 plate appearances for the Braves this year.  He's under contract through 2011.  Dunn, 26 in May, is a hard-throwing left-handed reliever who came to Atlanta from the Yankees a year ago in the Javier Vazquez deal.  Dunn racked up big-time strikeout and walk numbers this year between Triple-A and the Majors.  The intra-division asking price for Uggla was said to be large, but this return would be OK at best.

Brewers Notes: Peterson, Hannahan, James

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The latest on the Brewers…

Phillies Re-Sign Jose Contreras

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The Phillies re-signed reliever Jose Contreras to a two-year, $5.5MM deal, reports MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.  The contract includes performance incentives and a club option for 2013.  Year-by-year details can be found here.  ESPN's Enrique Rojas first reported last night that a deal was close.

Contreras, 39 in December, posted a 3.34 ERA, 9.1 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, 0.8 HR/9, and 44.7% groundball rate for the Phillies in 2010.  It was his first full season as a reliever, and his fastball played up to a 94.0 mph average.  He even served as the Phillies' closer for a while in May.  At just $1.5MM, Contreras was a major bargain for the Phillies in 2010.  This time around the second year is less than ideal, but it was likely necessary to secure him early.  Plus, Contreras' salary remains reasonable.

The Phillies' bullpen spending is far from finished.  They've added Contreras and Eddie Bonine, and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told ESPN's Jayson Stark he's contacted "40 free agents, predominantly bullpen guys."  The Phils are prioritizing left-handed relief and are known to be interested in Hisanori Takahashi.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Brandon Webb

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The Athletics guaranteed $10MM to Ben Sheets in January even though he'd missed the entire 2009 season due to elbow surgery.  The signing was not a success, but Sheets' upside must have been tantalizing for the A's.  This winter, free agent Brandon Webb presents a more exaggerated risk/reward scenario for teams.  Webb is two years removed from the Majors due to shoulder surgery, but his agent Jonathan Maurer still considers Sheets' deal a "conversation starter."  Webb missed more time than Sheets, but Maurer's client finished first or second in the Cy Young voting each year from 2006 to '08.

Today Maurer provided MLBTR details about Webb's September/October instructional games, and also said he expects 30+ starts from his client in 2011:

Brandon pitched for the first time competitively (in 17 months) in September and October in three instructional games. The first game, Webb threw 80% and was 78-80 mph. The second game Webb was closer to 90% and was 81-83, and the third game, Webb, still laying back a bit, was 81-85.  The reality is that Brandon showed good pitchability (he had strong movement on his signature sinker, plus plus change, and plus breaking ball).  What he also had was some rust on location.  Brandon's velocity is of very little concern to those that watch a lot of games.  His arm strength is indeed coming back, and honestly, he pitched at 87-90 all of 2008 (when he won 22 games) and that is only 2-5 mph off where he was in October. 

Brandon's surgeon, Dr. Keith Meister, fully expects him to prepare at a normal pace to be ready when camp opens in February, for whomever signs him.  Brandon is hungry, excited, and ready to start 30 plus times in 2011.  There is nothing to indicate he won't, with all the work he has put in and his consistent offseason workout program.

So far reports indicate that the Dodgers and Nationals have checked in on Webb, though surely many more clubs have kicked the tires.  Back in October, John Tomase of the Boston Herald reported that 21 teams watched Webb throw at Chase Field.  Will Webb reach the $7.5-10MM guarantee his agent seeks?  I think he may fall a bit short, but $5-6MM would not be surprising.  Incentives should allow the righty to top $10MM.  Webb's first bout with free agency comes at an inopportune time in his career, but a vintage 2011 season would result in a huge contract.

Red Sox Claim Taylor Buchholz

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The Red Sox claimed reliever Taylor Buchholz off waivers from the Blue Jays, the team announced today.  Buchholz had been designated for assignment by the Rockies in September and claimed by Toronto.

Buchholz, 29, tossed 21 1/3 innings in the minors this year and another 12 in the bigs.  He had Tommy John surgery in June of '09 after an excellent '08 season for Colorado.  He earned $1.055MM in each of the last two seasons and will be arbitration eligible again this winter.  The Red Sox will have the opportunity to retain Buchholz for the 2012 season if he pitches well next year. 

The claim caused the Blue Jays to fall behind the Athletics for the honor of having the most arbitration eligible players – the A's lead with 11 after claiming Edwin Encarnacion.

Buster Posey, Neftali Feliz Win ROY Honors

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Giants catcher Buster Posey took home the National League Rookie of the Year award today, while Rangers closer Neftali Feliz won it in the AL.

After Posey, Jason Heyward, Jaime Garcia, Gaby Sanchez, Neil Walker, Starlin Castro, Ike Davis, Jose Tabata, and Jonny Venters received votes in the NL.  After Feliz it was Austin Jackson, Danny Valencia, Wade Davis, John Jaso, Brennan Boesch, and Brian Matusz in the AL.  Click here to see the full voting results.

Odds & Ends: Sandberg, D’Backs, Lee, Huff

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Here are today's links as we await the Rookie of the Year announcements…

  • I'll be in Orlando covering the GM Meetings this week. Follow @mlbtrorlando on Twitter for the latest news, quotes and observations from Florida.
  • The Phillies have hired Ryne Sandberg to manage their Triple-A affiliate nearly 29 years after they traded the future Hall of Famer to the Cubs. Sandberg played 15 seasons in Chicago and nearly won the Cubs managerial job this winter. 
  • MLB.com's Todd Zolecki takes us back to 1982, when the Phillies sent Sandberg to the Cubs.
  • The Orioles signed former Cubs pitcher Mitch Atkins to a minor league deal, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. The 25-year-old has solid minor league numbers and a 5.25 ERA in 12 big league innings.
  • The D'Backs announced that Rico Brogna, who was appointed director of player development last month, resigned and will be replaced by Mike Bell.
  • Arizona also announced the hiring of Billy Ryan as assistant GM. He will work on arbitration cases and draft bonus recommendations.
  • Cliff Lee’s agent is one person who can skip the GM meetings altogether. “We're not going to have to go there to drum up interest," Darek Braunecker told Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News.
  • Tyler Kepner of the New York times explains that every team is looking for the next Aubrey Huff.

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